THE IMPACT OF POLITICS ON THE HEALTH CONDITIONS OF CIVIL SERVANTS IN KATSINA METROPOLIS

Abstract

Politics is a major factor that affects the lives of individuals, especially civil servants. A civil servant who does not support the elected government may experience delays in salary payments, and if care is not taken, they might even be dismissed from their job. This can lead to various health problems among the affected civil servants. The central objective of this paper is to examine the impact of politics on the health conditions of civil servants in the Katsina metropolis. The study adopted the Political Economy Theory as a theoretical framework. The paper adopted triangulation methods to collect both quantitative and qualitative data during the fieldwork. A total of Three Hundred and eighty-four (384) respondents were randomly sampled for the study. The purposive sampling method was adopted to sample five participants to elicit the qualitative data. The excessive politicization of civil servants has created an environment of anxiety, depression, work stress, favouritism, and inefficiency, thereby hindering effective service delivery. The paper concludes that Politics, especially in our beloved country, Nigeria, is often described as “a dirty game”, implying that politicians are frequently seen as untrustworthy. Unfortunately, most of these same politicians are responsible for formulating most national policies. When policies are poorly designed or implemented, their consequences affect everyone, including civil servants. Such political influences can negatively impact the physical, social, and mental well-being of civil servants, ultimately undermining their overall health and job performance. The study recommends that all levels of government establish clear, transparent policies that protect civil servants from political interference in their access to health benefits.